Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a supply channel through which a liquid to be supplied to a substrate flows; and a foreign substance detecting unit configured to detect a foreign substance in the liquid based on a signal obtained when light, which is near-infrared light, is radiated toward a flow path forming unit constituting a part of the supply channel by a light projector so that light is emitted from the flow path forming unit and a light receiver receives the light emitted from the flow path forming unit.

We claim: 
     
       1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a supply channel through which a liquid to be supplied to a substrate flows; and 
 a foreign substance detecting unit configured to detect a foreign substance in the liquid based on a signal obtained when light, which is near-infrared light, is radiated toward a flow path forming unit constituting a part of the supply channel by a light projector so that light is emitted from the flow path forming unit and a light receiver receives the light emitted from the flow path forming unit, 
 wherein the light projector and the light receiver in the foreign substance detecting unit are provided in areas that do not face each other among up/down, left/right and front/rear areas with respect to the flow path forming unit such that the light receiver receives scattered light as the light emitted from the flow path forming unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the light projector is configured to radiate light with a peak wavelength of 830 nm or more. 
 
     
     
       3. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the liquid is a colored liquid. 
 
     
     
       4. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the light projector includes: 
 a light source; and 
 a front end-side light path forming unit configured to form a light path from the light source toward the flow path forming unit, and 
 the front end-side light path forming unit includes an antireflection film. 
 
     
     
       5. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rear end-side light path forming unit configured to form a light path of transmitted light which passes through a reaction area where the light radiated from the light projector is condensed in the flow path forming unit and the scattered light is generated, 
 wherein the rear end-side light path forming unit includes an antireflection film. 
 
     
     
       6. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the rear end-side light path forming unit is configured to guide the transmitted light to a transmitted light detector configured to detect the transmitted light or a light absorber configured to absorb the transmitted light. 
 
     
     
       7. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light receiving-side light path forming unit configured to guide the light emitted from the flow path forming unit to the light receiver, 
 wherein the light receiving-side light path forming unit includes a band pass filter, and a pass band of the band pass filter includes a peak wavelength of the light radiated from the light projector. 
 
     
     
       8. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the light projector selectively radiates first light and second light to the flow path forming unit, the first light and the second light having different wavelengths from each other and at least one of the first light or the second light being the near-infrared light, 
 the light receiving-side light path forming unit configured to guide the light emitted from the flow path forming unit to the light receiver is provided, 
 the light receiving-side light path forming unit includes a first band pass filter and a second band pass filter, pass bands of the first band pass filter and the second band pass filter including a peak wavelength of the first light and a peak wavelength of the second light, respectively, and being different from each other, and 
 a first relative position changing mechanism configured to change a relative position of the light receiving-side light path forming unit with respect to the flow path forming unit such that one of the first band pass filter and the second band pass filter is located on a light path of the light emitted from the flow path forming unit depending on the light radiated from the light projector to the flow path forming unit is provided. 
 
     
     
       9. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the flow path forming unit includes multiple flow path forming units, and a row of the multiple flow path forming units is formed in a direction different from an arrangement direction of the light projector and the light receiver with respect to one flow path forming unit, 
 the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector are shared by the multiple flow path forming units, 
 a moving mechanism configured to move the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector along the row of the multiple flow path forming units such that the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector are located at a position corresponding to the flow path forming unit selected from the multiple flow path forming units is provided, 
 the first band pass filter and the second band pass filter are provided along the row of the multiple flow path forming units, and 
 the first relative position changing mechanism is the moving mechanism. 
 
     
     
       10. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light receiving-side light path forming unit configured to guide the light emitted from the flow path forming unit to the light receiver; 
 a second relative position changing mechanism configured to change a relative position of the light receiving-side light path forming unit with respect to the flow path forming unit; and 
 a neutral density filter provided in the light receiving-side light path forming unit and configured to change an attenuation rate of the light emitted from the flow path forming unit depending on the relative position. 
 
     
     
       11. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the flow path forming unit includes multiple flow path forming units, and a row of the multiple flow path forming units is formed in a direction different from an arrangement direction of the light projector and the light receiver with respect to one flow path forming unit, 
 the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector are shared by the multiple flow path forming units, 
 a moving mechanism configured to move the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector along the row of the multiple flow path forming units such that the light receiving-side light path forming unit, the light receiver and the light projector are located at a position corresponding to a flow path forming unit selected from the multiple flow path forming units is provided, and 
 the second relative position changing mechanism is the moving mechanism. 
 
     
     
       12. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a spectrometer; and 
 a branch light path forming unit configured to divide a light path of the light emitted from the flow path forming unit and configured to guide the light to the spectrometer and the light receiver. 
 
     
     
       13. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the light receiver includes a first light receiver and a second light receiver, 
 wherein the foreign substance detecting unit is further configured to perform detection of the foreign substance based on a signal obtained from the first light receiver and a signal obtained from the second light receiver, 
 wherein the substrate processing apparatus further includes: 
 an optical system configured to selectively radiate light emitted from the flow path forming unit by the foreign substance to one of the first light receiver and the second light receiver. 
 
     
     
       14. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the liquid is a processing liquid to be supplied to the substrate and is configured to process the substrate, and 
 wherein the substrate processing apparatus further includes: 
 a substrate placing table on which the substrate is placed; 
 a nozzle provided at a downstream end of the supply channel and configured to supply the processing liquid to the substrate placed on the substrate placing table; and 
 a processing liquid supply configured to supply the processing liquid to the supply channel such that the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle. 
 
     
     
       15. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a supply channel through which a liquid to be supplied to a substrate flows; and 
 a foreign substance detecting unit configured to detect a foreign substance in the liquid based on a signal obtained when light, which is near-infrared light, is radiated toward a flow path forming unit constituting a part of the supply channel by a light projector so that light is emitted from the flow path forming unit and a light receiver receives the light emitted from the flow path forming unit, 
 wherein the flow path forming unit includes multiple flow path forming units, and a row of the multiple flow path forming units is formed in a direction different from an arrangement direction of the light projector and the light receiver with respect to one flow path forming unit, 
 the light receiver and the light projector are shared by the multiple flow path forming units, and 
 a moving mechanism configured to move the light receiver and the light projector along the row of the multiple flow path forming units such that the light receiver and the light projector are located at a position corresponding to the flow path forming unit selected from the multiple flow path forming units is provided. 
 
     
     
       16. The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the light projector includes a first light projector and a second light projector shared by the multiple flow path forming units, at least one of the first light projector or the second light projector radiating the near-infrared light, 
 the light receiver includes a first light receiver forming a set with the first light projector and a second light receiver forming a set with the second light projector shared by the multiple flow path forming units, and 
 the moving mechanism moves the light projector and the light receiver included in one of the sets to a position corresponding to the flow path forming unit depending on a kind of a liquid flowing through the selected flow path forming unit. 
 
     
     
       17. A substrate processing method performed in a substrate processing apparatus,
 wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes: 
 a supply channel through which a liquid to be supplied to a substrate flows; and 
 a foreign substance detecting unit configured to detect a foreign substance in the liquid based on a signal obtained when light, which is near-infrared light, is radiated toward a flow path forming unit constituting a part of the supply channel by a light projector so that light is emitted from the flow path forming unit and a light receiver receives the light emitted from the flow path forming unit, 
 wherein the substrate processing method includes: 
 generating light toward the flow path forming unit constituting the part of the supply channel by the light projector; 
 receiving light emitted from the flow path forming unit by the light receiver as a result of the generating of the light toward the flow path forming unit; and 
 detecting a foreign substance in the liquid based on a signal obtained by the receiving of the light, 
 wherein the light projector and the light receiver in the foreign substance detecting unit are provided in areas that do not face each other among up/down, left/right and front/rear areas with respect to the flow path forming unit such that the light receiver receives scattered light as the light emitted from the flow path forming unit.